WOW Transition Specialist

About Our Organization:

At Youth Guidance, we believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly-trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing Chicago’s youth. We meet kids where they are — physically and emotionally — to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924  today Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 8,500 youth while touching the lives of more than 14,000 youth, parents, teachers, and community members.

About You:

You have the passion and desire to work in a dynamic non-profit organization, you have the talent and skills to perform the job, and now you’re looking for just the right opportunity.  At Youth Guidance you’ll have the chance to use your passion and skills working alongside a team of talented individuals who share the same values.

Position Summary: This position is responsible for the coordination and implementation of Working on Womanhood program in schools. This includes recruitment, enrollment, program implementation, providing support to families and systemic engagement activities necessary for successful programming, as well as training support for new WOW Counselors. This position is also responsible for supporting the transition of new WOW Counselors in their school. This position works collaboratively with Curriculum Specialist, and Regional Manager to implement WOW Program in schools and to support new WOW Counselors with transition into their roles.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

• Lead Working On Womanhood program implementation in identified schools and coordinate conditions for successful program implementation.
• Lead and facilitate 4-5 weekly group counseling sessions utilizing the program curriculum during the school day.
• Provide leadership by participating in, but not limited to, summer program planning, postsecondary and @Work initiatives, exposure opportunities, focus groups, special projects, etc.
• Participates in the recruitment, hiring and onboarding of all new WOW Counselors
• Supports the training and transition of new WOW Counselors in school.
• Provides WOW program implementation support to region.
• Lead WOW onboarding process and ongoing training support.
• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

Education/Experience/Training

• Master’s degree in social work, counseling, or related human service field from an approved, accredited university.
• Two calendar years of employment with the WOW Program.
• Two years of delivering program curriculum.
• One year of leadership experience leading a project or a team.
• Experience in Clinical and Youth Engagement.
• Experience working with trauma-informed services and framework.
• Experience working in schools or youth related systems, i.e., DCFS, juvenile detention, mental health facilities.

Skills/Abilities

• Must demonstrate high level of understanding of the WOW Counselor Competencies and philosophies.
• Must demonstrate high level of understanding of the WOW Curriculum and conditions for successful program implementation.
• Ability to manage multiple projects.
• Ability to demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team setting.
• Ability to demonstrate interpersonal skills that excel in cultural sensitivity and respect for differences required; proven ability to model YG values and norms.
• Ability to maintain positive relationships with various stakeholders required, along with outstanding teamwork and collaboration skills.
• Ability to resolve issues that arise while managing projects.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable; open to change, learning, and improvement.
• Passion to motivate and inspire team members across the agency to achieve full potential through sharing success stories and learning from experience.
• Must demonstrate creativity in engaging youth.
• Must demonstrate experience in Crisis Support and Intervention.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) required.
• Interpersonal skills that excel in cultural sensitivity and respect for differences.

Core Competencies

• **Communication:**Uses effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening skills.

• **Client orientation:**Recognizes needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation, to ultimately maximize the impact.

• **Equity mindset:**Understands and is committed to goals of equity, consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace.

• **Growth mindset:**Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if the change is required, demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn.

• **Ownership and quality of work:**Effectively manages own work, and work of the team to ensure delivery of high-quality work.

• **Supervisory skills:**Effectively manages and develops others.

• **Mission drive:**Demonstrates commitment to the mission of the organization as a whole and alignment with organizational values.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stoop, kneel and crouch.

• The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, and viewing a computer terminal.

• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This job operates in a professional office environment, school setting and working with the public, COVID-19 vaccination is required.
• Occasional local and national travel.

DEI Statement

At Youth Guidance, we understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We celebrate the diversity of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences. At the same time, we acknowledge that many systems and institutions meant to support youth are inequitable and unjust.

• As such, we are committed to advancing DE&I through our words and our actions, both internally and externally, by:
• Strengthening cultural competence as well as policies, practices, and organizational structures that foster belonging and leverage the unique backgrounds and talents of staff.
• Offering youth-centered programs that are accessible and responsive to people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, language, and cultural and religious beliefs and practices.
• Influencing systems that youth, their families, and communities are impacted by, such as schools, organizational networks, governmental bodies, researchers, and the funding community, to apply approaches that embrace DEI in addressing the needs and supporting the aspirations of young people.

Youth Guidance is an equal-opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Youth Guidance does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity along all of these lines. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

EEO/M/F/D/V/SO